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Friday 17 February 2012

Diary Entry - 17th February, 1917

Bee: A very foggy day and thawing hard. The attack started at four forty-five a.m. There were a goodly number of guns firing too. A three-hour hard shoot and only had three out of six guns in action. Half an hour after the show started, a crowd of prisoners came rushing for the battery. As soon as they appeared on the crest, the 48th and 71st gave a salvo and these fellows with one accord put up their hands and shouted, "Camarade". We took 27 prisoners in all, which was a great effort. These men were terrified and ran into the battery crying and half-dazed. We heard that the attack was hardly a success although some of our men got in to Miramont. I understand our people did well but on our right they were repulsed.

2 comments:

  1. this unusual events was recorded in the war diary 17th Feb: 15th Bty fires c. 800 rounds in barrage; 27 Germans taken prisoner and sent back with Corporal Finn (James Finn - 64791 who started the war as Driver Finn, and won the DCM and MM)

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  2. Thank you. What part of England did Driver Finn come from?

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